I recently reviewed an anthology of humorous sci-fi novellas and I mentioned that I had been in the mood for some good, fun, and funny sci-fi. That anthology did NOT do the trick, but the Ray Electromatic Mystery series works wonderfully.

Raymond Electromatic is a robot. He is the last working robot in a world that once saw robots everywhere, but a law banned the production of robots and Ray is all that remains. And Ray is programmed to be an assassin masquerading as a private detective. Ray has some serious limitations. His internal memory banks are only good for twenty-four hours and then they are erased and reused. Fortunately he has a partner, Ada, a desktop computer that remembers things for Ray and feeds him his orders.

In Killing Is My Business, Ray’s first target kills himself before Ray can make his move and Ray winds up saving the life of his second target – a classic mobster. Out of gratitude, the mob boss (Zeus Falzarano) brings Ray into his organization. Ray sees it as an opportunity to study his target, and the next day, Ray sees it as an opportunity to study his target, and the next day, Ray sees it as an opportunity … 24-hour memory span, remember?

Author Adam Christopher has taken the classic mystery/noir genre of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe and tossed it into the future world of Asimov and Clarke, where robots are a reality, and mixes in the wackiness of Ron Goulart to create his own very unique world.

This is the third book in the series that I’ve read and I find them to just be a lot of fun … nothing too serious but with enough mystery to keep me interested. This particular book is perhaps y least favorite of the three. While the first third of the book was strong and fast and exciting, and the ending was a delight, the middle portion of this already short book was a bit repetitive. I was eagerly turning pages but then disappointed as we didn’t really seem to be moving the plot forward.

Still, this is definitely the sort of book I would take along on a trip – something somewhat light and quick to read, but with a story that catches my attention and characters that make me smile

Looking for a good book? Killing is My Business by Adam Christopher is part of the delightful Ray Electromatic Mystery series and it will make you chuckle while a robot is killing people.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

According to the Goodreads description of this book it is “9 Comedic space opera tales of big spaceships, poor life decisions, and lots of Pew!” I can’t disagree with any of that. There are, in fact, nine novellas/novelettes included here. There are some big spaceships, and most of the characters make some poor life decisions. Most of these could also be called ‘comedic’ – which, according to Merriam-Webster, means “relating to comedy.” Oh, yeah … and there’s plenty of “pew.”

I’m not sure why I requested this except that I have been in a mood to read some humorous sci-fi lately and this didn’t look like it took itself too seriously. What I didn’t expect was a number of stories with sub-par writing.

The problem with setting out to write humorous fiction … much like the problem with writing horror … is sustaining a level of humor (or horror) through the entire story. Unfortunately, in the case of humor, this usually means resorting to the ridiculous or cheap laughs. This is done by tossing in a word – usually a word considered to be humorous all alone (such as vacuum, kumquat, naugahyde) – that is completely out of place in the context and then using it a lot to remind us that this is supposed to be funny. Or it relies on college-level sexual infantile humor – think Captain Underpants for an older audience.

I rarely find this sort of ‘humor’ funny – perhaps for a brief moment, but not as a sustained work.

Given all of that, one story really stood out for me in this collection. “The Last Bounty” by Barry J. Hutchison is one of the few works here that features story over humor, which is not to say there is no humor, but what’s there works precisely because Hutchison isn’t trying so hard to just be funny.

The story centers around Konto Oon – a retired bounty hunter who just wants to live a quiet, normal, family life. Being retired means he’s available to go on field trips with his step-daughter – who hates Konto and reminds him of this at every turn. But when the field trip students are taken hostage by terrorists, t’s up to Oon (and a vomiting, pudgy student) to rescue them.

This one story makes me glad I read through the book, but I do wish more rose to this level.

Two other stories in the anthology were not bad. Both “Gli+ch” by Drew Avera and “Bat Johnson, the Mad Mortician of Mars” by Rachel Aukes held their own and were (according to my notes) “not bad” and “decent,” respectively. “Gli+ch” deals with the unluckiest man on his way to Europa. “Bat Johnson, the Mad Mortician of Mars” is about …well, the title says it all.

I don’t want to get too involved in the stories that were not very good. I’ll leave it with my impression that one story was written solely for the purpose of being able to use the phrase “space balls” over and over.

Looking for a good book? In the anthology Pew! Pew! – Sex, Guns, Spaceships… Oh My!, the good stories are outnumbered 3-to-1 by the not so good works.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Is there anything that Seanan McGuire can’t write, and write well? Sparrow Hill Road begins McGuire’s take on ghosts.

There are legends of ghosts all over the country: The Girl in the Diner; The Phantom Prom Date; The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Though the stories have deviated and changed from the original tellings, they are all based on one story, one legend, one myth … except that she isn’t a myth. She’s Rose Marshall and she died in 1952 in Michigan, at the sweet age of sixteen. She was killed by Bobby Cross – a former movie star who sold his soul to stay young forever. The catch is that he has to take life from the living in order to do it.

Rose escaped Bobby’s clutches and now Bobby is trying to finish the job. It’s been sixty years since Rose died and became a Road Ghost and she’s determined not to let Bobby terminate her completely.

As with just about everything I’ve read from McGuire, she’s a master at creating worlds with their own rules and sharing that world with the reader. Here we’re in a shadow of our own world, traveling through time. This spirit world … these spirit worlds … have an incredible set of rules and McGuire helps us navigate those rules the way Bobby Cross navigates the roads.

In addition to her world-building, McGuire is just a great story-teller. Her characters (even her dead ones) seem so real; they feel like people you know (or want to know). Her stories build naturally and her way with words keeps you reading.

In her Special Edition Introduction, McGuire relates the story of how these Rose Marshall tales came to be. In essence this book is a collection of short stories that have been tied together to make it a novel. However, it still reads like a series of short stories despite the ‘fix-up.’ Still, I’d rather read a Seanan McGuire fix-up novel than most anyone else’s work.

Looking for a good book? Sparrow Hill Road is a ghost novel by Seanan McGuire. By Seanan McGuire I said. That means it will surprise you and entertain you and you will be glad to have read it.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

With this book I have now read the Heroine’s Complex trilogy. I’ve had real mixed feelings about the previous two books (you can search for my reviews on my blog) but I am so happy to note that this is the strongest book of the series (and it will be a continuing series, according to Ms. Kuhn).

Bea Tanaka is the little sister to Evie Tanaka, the sometimes partner, sometimes sidekick to superhero Aveda Jupiter. Bea is just beginning to discover that she might have superhero powers of her own – the ability to plant suggestions in other people’s minds (think Jedi mind tricks). And along with these powers are visions of her and Evie’s mother who has been presumed dead for some time.

Bea wants desperately to join forces with her sister and Aveda and become a member of the superhero team to help stave off the demons from the portal that is sometimes open over San Francisco. But Aveda and Evie can’t see Bea as anything more than Evie’s little sister – one who needs protecting rather than as a protector. On her own then, Bea follows her mother into the portal and the realm of the demons where she hopes she can help her mother return to San Francisco.

One of the things I liked so much about this book was the plotting. We have here a well-thought-out story: device, contrivance, character, motivation, conflict, sub-plots, surprise, resolution. I didn’t feel that way about the previous book, which felt more like a character story with the plot being secondary.

I really liked getting to know more about demon portal. This being the prime source of conflict for the series it was nice to have it come into play in a big way. Bea’s description of the portal to Evie and Aveda is so concise and easy to understand that I smiled and noted in my kindle “brilliant.”

The previous two books were marred, in my opinion, by graphic sex scenes that felt out-of-place – something from an erotic romance rather than a YA sci-fi/fantasy novel. There is still some sex here, for those who want it, but it’s much more subtle (with only one word standing out as inappropriate in the context and a little jarring).

It’s great to finish the trilogy on an up note and definitely makes one want to continue reading the series.

Looking for a good book? Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn concludes the Heroine’s Complex trilogy with a strong story and characters that will make you believe in superheroes in San Francisco.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The one sentence, attention-getting note on Goodreads before the book description reads: “The brilliant, mind-bending return to science fiction by one of its most acclaimed visionaries.” Now I can’t say that I’ve read anything by Jeff Noon before this, so I can’t speak to this being a ‘return’ to science fiction or his being a visionary. I will say, however, that this book is indeed mind-bending.

John Nyquist is a private detective and not a particularly discriminating one. He takes on a case of tracking down a missing teenager. His search takes him from the comfort and safety of Dayzone to the dark, often frightening streets of Nocturna. Meanwhile, a serial killer has been killing his way through the area, invisible and with tremendous speed – giving him the nickname ‘Quicksilver.’ But as Nyquist gets deeper into his search for the missing teenage girl, he begins to suspect that she may have a connection to the Quicksilver murders, but getting more information about the possible connection will take Nyquist into Dusk – a shadowy zone that no one wants to spend much time in.

This book is … well, to go back to the Goodreads quote … mind-bending. Imagine Time as not just a concept that we measure and pretend to know with things like clocks and calendars, but as an actual, physical commodity that can be taken away or controlled, the way we can with money or currency. Hard to grasp the idea? I understand. But Noon’s novel works on this premise – where time in one area isn’t just measured differently, it actually works or moves differently.

This was a hard concept for me to visualize, I’ll admit. I’ve read a fair number of time-travel books (this is NOT a time travel story), so I’m not new to stories that work with the concept of time being fluid, but this was definitely on a new level for me. And while I may have been confused, it was very clear to me that in Noon’s world this made sense and I trusted the storyteller to keep it as clear as possible for me. And he did.

The mystery itself is very well done. We’re led down a couple of false paths and the discovery Nyquist makes isn’t a complete surprise – Noon gives us the same clues – but the storytelling…! Getting there is so much fun in this world!

I highlighted a one sentence description that Noon gives us as we meet a character: “The mother of Eleanor Bale was a living ghost of a once startlingly beautiful woman.” This simple sentence is so beautiful and gave me such a vivid picture of the character. This sort of writing is why we pick up fiction and let ourselves get carried away.

This book is what we once called ‘Speculative Fiction’ crossed with a classic noir mystery and it’s extremely well done. This definitely makes me want to seek out Noon’s previous works and stay tuned for further adventures (especially those in John Nyquist’s world).

Looking for a good book? A Man of Shadows by Jeff Noon is a brilliant, richly dark sci-fi/fantasy mystery that will engage and challenge the reader.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Although I mostly read ARCs (Advance Reading Copy) these days, I’ve noticed that too often I come into a book series halfway through and I don’t enjoy the book quite as much because I’m not already familiar with the characters. When I think ahead enough, I will do a little research on my ARCs and see if it’s part of a series and then see if the earlier books are available at my local library. One of those books on my ARC reading list is Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the third book in The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, and so I decided to start at the beginning … The Raven Boys.

For as long as Blue Sargent can remember, she’s been warned that she will cause her true love to die. Now a young girl experiencing an interest in boys that warning begins to haunt her. Blue’s mother, a clairvoyant, each year stands and watches the soon-to-be-dead as the walk past her. Blue has never had this vision … until now. A boy, named Gansey, walks out of the woods and speaks directly to her. Gansey is a student at Aglionby – a private school for the wealthy. Blue has always avoided the boys from Aglionby (known as Raven Boys) because they are trouble. But she can’t help but be drawn to Gansey. He’s rich, very good-looking, has family and very strong friendships and yet he’s seeking something more and he’s drawing some close friends, and now Blue, into his search.

This is not a light read. This story is dense with character development and story progression. In fact, I first listened to the audio version of this on my drive to/from work after checking out the CDs from my library, but I realized that I needed more concentration on this to really absorb what was happening, and so checked out the book instead.

The story is really interesting and I look forward to getting deeper into the larger story, but at the same time I felt that this moved at a very slow pace. It became clear to me that this is primarily a set-up novel, giving the reader a lot of information about the characters, so that (presumably) future novels can get into more of the stories.

I’ll likely skip over book two in the series to get to my ARC and hopefully I won’t have missed too much.

Looking for a good book? The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is a set-up novel, establishing characters and the world, which shows some promise of interesting stories to come, but this makes for a slow-moving first story.

The Blasted Lands by James A. Moore is the second book in his ‘Seven Forges’ series. I haven’t read the first book but I have become acquainted with Moore’s work and I’ve been impressed.

There are a number of characters here and it took me some time to feel as though I had gotten caught up on who everyone was and their roles here – one of the problems of joining a series mid-stream. To complicate matters, I started getting caught up in the action of the book. There’s too much going on here to spend much time thinking about the past!

Something Moore does particularly well is world-building and his creation of the blasted lands is really wonderful here, and we get the impression that this world is incredibly populated and if we don’t know each character individually, we know them generally. They aren’t just anonymous characters to be disposed of randomly.

This world is on the verge of a war. Merros Dulver is the newly appointed commander of the armies of the Empire of Fellein since the Emperor died. But it’s going to be an uphill climb, getting the soft army ready for an unwinnable fight..

I’ve said this before about Moore – his work reminds me of the best of Michael Moorcock. And although it seems to get old to repeat that thought, it came to me again while reading this book. The biggest difference I noticed is that Moorcock’s heroes were contemplative whereas Moore’s are much more active.

The downside to this book is that it doesn’t feel like a complete book. It feels like the middle of a longer series (which, of course, it is). As I already mentioned, it takes some time to get up to speed with getting to know the characters, and the ending almost ends mid-sentence. Not quite, but close.

I recommend James A. Moore for anyone interested in the sword&sorcery style fantasy, but don’t start in the middle of a series.

Looking for a good book? The Blasted Lands by James A. Moore is the second book in a longer series and it will be an easier read if you get to know the characters from the beginning, and don’t plan on being done with the story based on one book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.